Extended wait

Quick question for anyone:

Have you ever left before being seen due to an extended wait? I have, many years ago, and came close this last week.

I had been booked in to the local teaching hospital urology clinic, and was quite early. My appointment was set for 1:20, and I was after 2 pm being called back, , and waited on the provider ,(clothed in street clothes,) for approximately an hour and had mentally given myself until 3:30 to wait.

I must have thought loud because in less than five minutes, they arrived.

It was a great visit, all went well, but was wondering about what others would have done. Suggestions?

I have never left, but my former doctor was awful for timing, I would always try to book a 1PM appointment (after lunch) cause I could not do mornings at that time. Usually I would not be leaving until 2:30 or 3:00, regardless of why I was there.

I went with my mother to the gynecologist. The doctor & her staff just could not manage appointments. The third time we waited over an hour I acidly asked the staff why they had us come in at 1 PM when it should have been obvious that if we had come in at 2 PM both we and the doctor would have been punctual. We left after an hour and 20 minutes, re-booking when the staff assured us the doctor wouldn't be too delayed and we were first up on the afternoon calendar. Luckily doctor was only half hour late.

BRAT

In germany it is rather common to wait for hours for your appointment. Some specialties like the gyn or the dentists can plan their days better, but in a specialty where emergencies can happen, hours are more the norm than the exception.

N.

At a roleplay examination it is good to have the examinee wait, preferably in just their briefs or naked, anticipating what will happen, what they will be asked to do, over the next two or three hours.

I have never left, but at my surgery you will on average wait about 20 mins after your alloted appt so that is not to sad,

At a roleplay examination it is good to have the examinee wait, preferably in just their briefs or naked, anticipating what will happen, what they will be asked to do, over the next two or three hours.

I rather like that!

The patient may also reasonably be given fluids to drink prior to the waiting and be required to hold their urine during the waiting period.

Dr. Fox

I have felt close to leaving as my available time was being stretched. Waiting an hour seemed to be excessive but I tried to remain understanding. The doctor did apologize when I finally got into an exam, which I appreciated. I haven't experienced it again and so for me, it is now a non issue. I am not sure if I would have been pleased had there been no apology.

I have had two long waits for the same Dr.

The first one was about hour and 15min, the staff and Dr could tell I was upset

and I said, I would bill him for my time if it happened again.

The second time was an hour and 50min. only 10 days later, as I left I said you can expect my Bill for

my wasted time. I sent him a bill at my standard project rate of $500.00/hr.

Of course he bitched and said he wouldn't pay, but that changed when my lawer server him.

Extended wait times are "normal" these days.... You just have to know how to handle the situation. I had a scheduled 8 am appointment with a doctor, first appoint of his day, new patient me. After being escorted to the examination room and BP and vitals taken the nurse said doctor will be in shortly... after 20 minutes no doctor, so I opened the exam room door and in a loud voice asked "where is the doctor?" Doctor appeared in about 3 minutes with the usual "I was busy, and if you are upset we can reschedule your visit". I said "I am not upset, lets just do it." With another doctor, an orthopedist, I just walked out after 20 minutes and told the front desk to not bill my insurance or I would complain to the insurance company.

In real life exams, I have very little patience for being kept waiting far past my appointment time. Unless the doctor is busy handling a legitimate emergency, being kept waiting shows a complete lack of respect for the patient. My time is just as valuable as their, or the next patient. Yes, I have walked out a few times. Other times I wait and end up seeing the doctor, but it's typically the last time I'll ever see them.

I don't have a specific amount of time I'll wait, it really just depends on the reason for my visit. If it's an appointment that was scheduled far in advance, I generally expect them to call me back from the waiting room within 10 minutes of my appointment time. Then, after the nurse has done the preliminary things, I expect to see my doctor in another 10 minutes. On the other hand, if it's a sick visit that I just called and scheduled this morning, I have a much higher tolerance for waiting. After all, most of the time those last-minute visits are "fill-in" visits where they'll overbook themselves just so that they can see you. I expect to wait under those circumstances and are simply glad to be seen that day.

@stickitin2me2000

I have had two long waits for the same Dr.

The first one was about hour and 15min, the staff and Dr could tell I was upset

and I said, I would bill him for my time if it happened again.

The second time was an hour and 50min. only 10 days later, as I left I said you can expect my Bill for

my wasted time. I sent him a bill at my standard project rate of $500.00/hr.

Of course he bitched and said he wouldn't pay, but that changed when my lawer server him.

Did you really sue a dr for having to wait?

What was the outcome?

Yes I did, and 3 days later his check was in my mail box.

Needless to say I never saw him again

Driving 75 miles West to see him, is not much different than going 100 miles East to see some one else.

I like my new Doc better anyway. His office staff know to call

if there is a delay(common practice for all patiants). Even though I am already in transit, I can find better ways of using my time than waiting in his office.

P.S. I have a lawer on staff (taxes) and this was nothing for her

Randy

I absolutely will not wait if they are extremely late, esp on a regular basis. Years ago, I had a GP who would get her receptionist (an RN) to take my blood pressure if she was very behind, as she knew I would not wait (I had to go for monthly BP checks). Another place I went to, in a different city, told me I could call ahead to see if they were behind and if they were, I could come in late. I was taking time off work to go to the appt (hourly wage) and they said most of their patients didn't work, so they could wait. Fortunately, my current GP, whom I've been with for about 18 years, is really good about being on time. The very occasional time she's late, I understand, as I know it must have been something serious.

Last fall, I took off from Urgent Care because they were taking too long. I understand that UC is triaged and I was just there to get IV antibiotics, but I had a delivery coming and had to get home. I'd already waited hours in the waiting room, I had gone to the triage nurse to let her know I was leaving and she looked at my chart and said to come on in, because I HAD to get the dose in. Then they left me waiting on a stretcher. After a half hour of that, I absolutely had to get going as it was a half hour to my place, so I just walked out.

There is only one doctor I have ever put up with excessive wait times. I waited nearly 3 hours past appointment slots for my 3 office visits to see him. He stacked waaaaay too many patients in his office caseload.

That being said, he was the best in his specialty, within a 90-100 mile radius. Normally it takes 3 months to get in for a surgical consult, but my friend had contacted him over a holiday weekend and I was shocked when he offered me an appointment on Monday morning. (I would have been ecstatic for an appointment in the next 4-6 weeks, so I’ll deal with a few long office visit waits to get a much earlier surgery date.)

The only appointment he wasn’t late for was the 7 am surgery.

Still don’t regret my decision to deal with his excessive wait times. He said it goes down in his book as one of his toughest non-cancer related cases he’s performed. The outcome would have been VERY different if someone else with less skill and experience had performed it.

0 went to my shrink one time and the nurse came in and blame me for the fact that I had waited an hour to see him. She went back out the door and turn the corner and stop and she was listening to me. so I said out loud with nobody else in the room well I didn't like her either but you didn't have to call her a b**** George

It's a long time ago (mid ‘70’s) My adult Dr.then was a smart good Doctor. When he put “Inc.” after his name on the front door -- it went south. 15 minute waits became 45 minutes and when he did finally appear it was short and sweet and barely lasted 10 minutes. I got tired of it and never returned.

Great question.

I have left a physicians office several times when I’ve been waiting more than 45 mins.

I recently waited 50 minutes for a GI doctor. Every time I went to his office I had to wait 45+ minutes. I waited for him and politely told him that it was disrespectful to keep people waiting 30-45 minutes and that I would make other arrangements for my care.

I’m willing to give anyone the benefit of the doubt, but when the problem is consistent, it’s apparent the provider doesn’t respect my time or me.

I had a German doctor who had a sign in his waiting room. Essentially, it said “if you are upset with the amount of time you have to wait to see me, please let me know. And I will cut short the time I need to diagnose and treat you”, I've never minded waiting since then.

I had a German doctor who had a sign in his waiting room. Essentially, it said “if you are upset with the amount of time you have to wait to see me, please let me know. And I will cut short the time I need to diagnose and treat you”, I've never minded waiting since then.

I would have changed doctors!

Our doc has a sign asking that you notify the front desk if it’s 20 minutes past your scheduled appointment. We’ve seldom had to wait more than 10 minutes

I've not had an unexpected extended wait for an appointment. I would complain if it was something I was paying for or something routine which was delayed by around 45 mins or more. I might leave if I was paying and the delay was particularly inconvenient. I'd be unlikely to leave if it was an NHS appointment though, unless absolutely necessary, as it'd be a hassle to try to get another appointment for a convenient time.

So it would depend on the context like others have described - I'm more patient and anticipate delays if the GP has squeezed me in at the last minute or if it is a hospital appointment for example. At the hospital, I take the appointment time as the time from which I should be ready to be seen but expect to be called into the room later than that - e.g. I went to the hospital for a mole to be checked by the dermatologist, and was waiting for about half an hour after the stated appointment time, but didn't find that unusual or excessive. I would be getting more impatient if I had such an unexpected delay for the private health assessment I was booked in for.

I typically do not like to complain about wait times before seeing a doctor or other medical provider. Sometimes these providers may be required to spend additional time with another patient due to that patient's medical condition. Unexpected complications can arise during a course of treatment. To be far more blunt shit happens.

Having that said…Once upon a time and not too long ago I fell victim to a broken toe. After a few days of just being a guy and sucking it up, the pain became unbearable so it was off to the doctor for me. After her usual kind words and a subsequent exam of the damage at hand, I was prescribed some painkillers (yay!) and a referral to the orthopedic clinic who took me the following day. I sat in the exam room for 20 minutes before The NP arrived. The NP said “We are probably going to have to reset that bone. it is as unpleasant as it sounds but I am going to have the doc have a look first” 15 minutes later the doctor arrives, assesses my injury ,agrees with NP's course of treatment and exits the room. At this point I am feeling very stressed, knowing what is about to happen soon enough (well not necessarily soon that is) 25 minutes later, the NP comes back in and says “Let's get your vitals checked”. As you can imagine my pulse and BP were both in the stratospheric range. The NP then says "We need to get that BP lower, so we need to have you wait until…" That was enough for me. I walked (limped out actually) out, went home and let the toe heal itself. To say I was angrier than a pyromaniac in a petrified forest is being subtle. The best course of action.(IMO): Doc and NP show up together with the equipment and supplies needed to do the terrible deed and get the job done immediately as opposed to giving me the bad news and keeping me in a perpetual state of anxiety over what's on the horizon.

A few months later I had my annual physical. My doctor was reviewing my file and had noticed I refused treatment for my broken toe. My doctor. She is absolutely the best. She said to me “You have always impressed me as a logical and sensible guy. This incident seems to contradict my opinion of your mindset. So I want to hear your side of the story." Upon hearing my proverbial tale of woah or in this case toe of wail (sorry I am dyslexic) she agreed I had every right to get up and walk away. She then was decent enough to admit she made an error in judgement by not sending me to the hospital's Emergency Department instead. Like I said she is a great doctor with a decent bedside manner, so how could I not accept her apology?

The physical went in the usual manner: Head to toe, we all know the drill. When she got to my toe it was apparent the bone was healed but not properly healed as it now had (her humorous remark) "A Quasimodo thing going on now. It is crooked, but you are in no discomfort so we can reset the bone if you want but if you can live with the less than perfect appearance of your toe you will be ok. You are a smart, successful, good looking and fit young man, so somehow I don't think this oddly shaped toe is gonna keep the ladies away. You can get dressed now. Barring any unforeseen circumstances I will see you in a year"

I had a German doctor who had a sign in his waiting room. Essentially, it said “if you are upset with the amount of time you have to wait to see me, please let me know. And I will cut short the time I need to diagnose and treat you”, I've never minded waiting since then.

@evolving that is a good point that is being made by that doctor. Sometimes a patient has more to see, discuss, or be told than is planned when an appointment is set up. From experience I have had a number of questions and concerns to discuss with the doctor. Which probably extended the length of our appointed time than might normally been needed. I hope it didn't put his schedule off.

Thankfully most of our appointment wait times have been short even at times getting in early. I credit this to appropriate scheduling by those offices.

My late wife worked both front office and back office plus billing. Most long wait times are caused by staff really not understanding how long the Doc needs with each patient, and some or even, that most patient's will want to talk/explain more and that takes more of the Doc's time making each new patient wait longer. Plus the higher the number the more $ the Doc makes. Most of them will push the staff to pack in the most they can. That will increase wait time. If the Doc has too much free time in the day most will complain because they see that as loss of income.

Most Doc's have a number of patient's they want or think they can see in what they think is a work day and will push for that number and the front office will get “kuddos” if they meet or exceed that number. Many, if not most, Doc's under estimate the time they need to do the paper work on each patient and that increases wait time and most Doc's will blame staff if they fall behind.

The best staff will disregard the Doc's estimate and add 15 min to each allotted time and if they are lucky you will get a short wait time. If wrong, they will get yelled at by the doc. And they will pack the doc with patients for a pay back and that increases you're wait time. I lost count how many time's my wife came home in tears.